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Background: Pyroptosis, an inflammatory cell death, is involved in the progression of atherosclerosis. Pyroptosis in endothelial cells (ECs) and its underlying mechanisms in atherosclerosis are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of a caspase-4/5-NF-κB pathway in pyroptosis in palmitic acid (PA)-stimulated ECs and EVs as players in pyroptosis. Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in an endothelial cell medium, treated with Ox-LDL, PA, caspase-4/5 inhibitor, NF-κB inhibitor, and sEV release inhibitor for 24 h, respectively. The cytotoxicity of PA was determined using an MTT assay, cell migration using a scratch-wound-healing assay, cell morphology using bright field microscopy, and lipid deposition using oil red O staining. The mRNA and protein expression of GSDM-D, CASP4, CASP5, NF-κB, NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 were determined with RT-PCR and Western blot. Immunofluorescence was used to determine NLRP3 and ICAM-1 expressions. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated using an exosome isolation kit and were characterized by Western blot and scanning electron microscopy. Results: PA stimulation significantly changed the morphology of the HUVECs characterized by cell swelling, plasma membrane rupture, and increased LDH release, which are features of pyroptosis. PA significantly increased lipid accumulation and reduced cell migration. PA also triggered inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, as evidenced by NLRP3 activation, upregulation of ICAM-1 (endothelial activation marker), and pyroptotic markers (NLRP3, GSDM-D, IL-1β, IL-18). Inhibition of caspase-4/5 (Ac-FLTD-CMK) and NF-κB (trifluoroacetate salt (TFA)) resulted in a significant reduction in LDH release and expression of caspase-4/5, NF-κB, and gasdermin D (GSDM-D) in PA-treated HUVECs. Furthermore, GW4869, an exosome release inhibitor, markedly reduced LDH release in PA-stimulated HUVECs. EVs derived from PA-treated HUVECs exacerbated pyroptosis, as indicated by significantly increased LDH release and augmented expression of GSDM-D, NF-κB. Conclusions: The present study revealed that inflammatory, non-canonical caspase-4/5-NF-κB signaling may be one of the crucial mechanistic pathways associated with pyroptosis in ECs, and pyroptotic EVs facilitated pyroptosis in normal ECs during atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractConservation agriculture (CA) covers nearly 3.5 mha in Indian. And there is lack of studies on the CA effects soil nutrient dynamics. So, this study examines the effects of nine years of conservation agriculture on soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) fractions in an Inceptisol under maize–wheat–mungbean cropping system. Different tillage and nitrogen management practices were evaluated to understand how nutrient management in CA, contrasts with conventional methods. The CA practices and N fertilizer addition significantly enhanced the soil mineral N, alkali-permanganate N, potentially mineralizable N and microbial biomass N. The CA and N fertilization enhanced soluble and loosely bound P by dissolving the iron-bound, aluminum-bound, reductant soluble and calcium-bound P. All the soil S fractions i.e. available S, total water-soluble S, heat soluble S, sodium bicarbonate extractable S, inorganic sulfur, organic sulfur and total sulfur was positively affected by CA and N fertilization practices over conventional tillage and control plots, respectively. It is important to note that the green seeker-based N management options especially with urea super granules showed tendency in enhancing the available nutrient pools of N, P and S compared to recommended dose of N (RDN) applied and control plots indicating that in due course of time it may reduce the amount of RDN without hindering any soil nutrient dynamics. These findings contribute crucial knowledge for sustainable development by offering valuable perspectives on N, P and S management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different materials like activated carbon, metal organic frameworks, silica, etc. have ability to adsorb (exothermic process) and desorb (endothermic process) CO2. These heat interactions during adsorption and desorption processes can be utilized for the development of gas - adsorbent based sorption refrigeration system. Therefore, in the present work, this concept is employed to analyze the thermodynamic performance of CO2 - adsorbent based sorption refrigeration system (CO2-A SRS). The chosen adsorbents for thermodynamic simulation are Activated Carbon (Norit RB3), Pore Expanded Mesoporous Silica Materials (PE MSM 41), Amine Tethered Mesoporous Silica Materials (AT MSM 41) and Amine Functionalized Silica (AF Silica). The working pairs are developed based on the available pressure difference between coupled adsorbent to allow sufficient amount of CO2 to flow between the coupled materials in the operating temperature range of 0°C (refrigeration output), 25°C (ambient) and 100°C (heat source). The thermodynamic performance of refrigeration system is compared for two adsorbent pairs. The thermodynamic performance includes refrigeration effect, specific refrigeration power, coefficient of performance, refrigeration capacity and second law of efficiency. The refrigeration effect of Activated Carbon - PE MSM 41 pair is observed double that of AT MCM 41 - AF Silica pair. In addition, the thermodynamic performance of CO2-A SRS is compared with the performance of CO2 - adsorbent based vapour adsorption refrigeration system (CO2-A VARS) available in literature. The COP of CO2-A SRS is observed higher than CO2-A VARS.

Utilizing agricultural and industrial wastes, potent reservoirs of nutrients, for nourishing the soil and crops through composting embodies a sustainable approach to waste management and organic agriculture. To investigate this, a 2-year field experiment was conducted at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, focusing on a pigeon pea--vegetable mustard--okra cropping system. Seven nutrient sources were tested, including a control (T1), 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (T2), 100% RDN through improved rice residue compost (T3), 100% RDN through a paddy husk ash (PHA)--based formulation (T4), 75% RDN through PHA-based formulation (T5), 100% RDN through a potato peel compost (PPC)--based formulation (T6), and 75% RDN through PPC-based formulation (T7). Employing a randomized block design with three replications, the results revealed that treatment T4 exhibited the significantly highest seed (1.89 ± 0.09 and 1.97 ± 0.12 t ha-1) and stover (7.83 ± 0.41 and 8.03 ± 0.58 t ha-1) yield of pigeon pea, leaf yield (81.57 ± 4.69 and 82.97 ± 4.17 t ha-1) of vegetable mustard, and fruit (13.54 ± 0.82 and 13.78 ± 0.81 t ha-1) and stover (21.64 ± 1.31 and 22.03 ± 1.30 t ha-1) yield of okra during both study years compared to the control (T1). Treatment T4 was on par with T2 and T6 for seed and stover yield in pigeon pea, as well as okra, and leaf yield in vegetable mustard over both years. Moreover, T4 demonstrated notable increase of 124.1% and 158.2% in NH4-N and NO3-N levels in the soil, respectively, over the control. The enhanced status of available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the soil, coupled with increased soil organic carbon (0.41%), total bacteria population (21.1%), fungi (37.2%), actinomycetes (44.6%), and microbial biomass carbon (28.5%), further emphasized the positive impact of T4 compared to the control. Treatments T2 and T6 exhibited comparable outcomes to T4 concerning changes in available N, P, soil organic carbon, total bacteria population, fungi, actinomycetes, and microbial biomass carbon. In conclusion, treatments T4 and T6 emerge as viable sources of organic fertilizer, particularly in regions confronting farmyard manure shortages. These formulations offer substantial advantages, including enhanced yield, soil quality improvement, and efficient fertilizer utilization, thus contributing significantly to sustainable agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical countries, combating leaf curl disease in hot peppers has become important in improvement programs. Leaf curl disease is caused by whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted begomoviruses, which mainly include chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV). However, multiple begomoviruses have also been found to be associated with this disease. The Capsicum annuum line, DLS-Sel-10, was found to be a tolerant source against this disease during field screening. In this study, we characterized the resistance of DLS-sel-10 against chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV) in comparison to the susceptible cultivar Phule Mukta (PM), focusing on the level, stage, and nature of resistance. Comprehensive investigations involved screening of DLS-Sel-10 against the whitefly vector ChiLCV. The putative tolerant line displayed reduced virus infection at the seedling stage, with increasing resistance during vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages. Both DLS-Sel-10 and PM could be infected with ChiLCV, although DLS-Sel-10 remained symptomless. Insect feeding assays revealed DLS-Sel-10 as a less preferred host for whiteflies compared to PM. In conclusion, DLS-Sel-10 demonstrated tolerance not only to ChiLCV but also served as an unfavorable host for the whitefly vector. The study highlighted an age-dependent increase in tolerance within DLS-Sel-10, showcasing its potential for effective leaf curl disease management in chilli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both energy conservation and the use of renewable resources are necessary due to the global increase in energy demand. A useful technique for energy storage, when renewable energy sources are available, is a thermochemical energy storage system that relies on the interaction of gases with solids. From this vantage point, hydrogen offers a sustainable and regenerative response to this pressing issue. In line with that, herein, the operation of a novel two‐stage hydrogen‐based thermochemical energy storage system (TS‐H‐TCES) is proposed to attain a higher energy density and is analyzed with the help of the thermodynamic cycle. The proposed system operates at 298, 373, 403, and 423 K as atmospheric temperature (Tatm), waste heat input temperature (Tm), storage temperature (Ts), and upgraded/enhanced heat output temperature (Th), respectively. For the given operating temperature, the thermodynamic performance of TS‐H‐TCES is evaluated using experimentally measured pressure–concentration isotherms of LaNi4.7Al0.3, LaNi4.6Al0.4, and MmNi4.6Al0.4. The maximum coefficient of performance, second law efficiency (ηII), and thermal energy storage density are found to be 0.67, 0.70, and 220.98 kJ kg−1, respectively. The impact of operating temperatures on system performance is also investigated, which is important in choosing the best temperature range for a certain application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]